A Wet and Wild Week

Since Kellyn's last day of preschool was last Thursday this was our first week of summer!

Monday

We went to The Fields of Carrollton for Kellyn's playgroup graduation party. She has been in this group since she was 8 months old and now they are all going off to Kindergarten. We forgot to take a group pic, but the group has changed so much over time. Most of her friends in the group weren't there, but we still had lots of fun. And Lauren was with us. She is always with us, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. I just put her in the Sling EZ and she slept for 2 1/2 hours until it was time for the car seat and screamed.

Kellyn and Cash were in the same preschool class last year and have been in the same playgroup since they were 2 I think. They are such sweet friends.

Monday night they started swim lessons. Rhett at 4:30 and Kellyn at 5:05, Monday - Thursday.

And let me just say it is no easy task loading up a 2 kids and a baby to get to swim lessons. I have to put sunscreen and swimsuits on my 2 usually while Lauren is crying because she hates not being held, load the stroller, her car seat that her parents take home, her bag of milk bottles, her diaper bag, toys for Rhett to play with during Kellyn's lessons, towels, change of clothes, snacks, water bottles.... It is exhausting. Back when it was just my 2 kids we just had a few things and they jumped in and out of the car, but now we have to begin the process 30 minutes before we want to leave house and want to leave early enough to get to swim lessons 10 minutes early because it takes that long to unload everyone, carry all the bags and baby, and walk up the driveway. At least it's a good workout. :)  Lauren's mom picked her up at the swim lessons house this week and will do so again next except I won't have Lauren on Monday because her parents have Memorial Day off so I will only have her for 3 out of the 4 swim lessons days. Thank God! And with swim lessons starting so early I have to cook dinner ready during nap time. It's kind of challenging. 

Tuesday

We went to my parent's house so I could get things figured out for Rhett's birthday party. They got a donkey. They named him Henry. Baby Lauren and the kids got to meet Henry the donkey. Kellyn voluntarily wanted to ride! She loved it and didn't want to give Rhett a turn. This is a first for her. I talked to her about learning how to ride one of the big horses this summer and she agreed!

Rhett and Lauren both fell asleep in the car. I was able to transfer them both into bed for a good long nap before swim lessons that evening. Playing on the ranch wore that little cowboy plum out. So I cooked dinner before we left at 4:00 for swim lessons. 

Wednesday

I just hate that I only took one picture, but I got so involved my conversation I forgot. We had my friend Cecilie over and her 3 kids for a play date. We put the water slide up for the first time this season.  The kids all loved it!  

Then we moved the party to Chic-fil-A and stayed out to late because we didn't get home until 2:30. Rhett went down for a nap at 3:00, but I had to wake him up at 4:00 for swim lesson. He wasn't happy about that. He kept saying he didn't want to go swimming, but he was fine once he got in the water. Lauren did not nap while Rhett did so I wasn't able to make dinner before we left. Then Max was working late and was so hungry when we got home I just couldn't make it happen so we ate left over and sandwiches. 

Wednesday night Rhett jumped off the diving board for the first time!

Kellyn couldn't let her baby brother get ahead of her so she jumped off the diving board and swam to the side. 

Thursday

We met an old teacher friend, Ashley, and her kids, at the brand new splash park in Carrollton. I used to babysit her daughter Caroline when Kellyn was 2 and I was pregnant with Rhett, but only 3 days a week. Now she is a big sister of twins, Lila and Liam.  

This park was at Thomas Park on Perry Rd. It used to be a pool, but the city filled it in and put in this great splash ground. This is a really great place for young kids, but they don't have bathrooms and not as much shade as The Fields of Carrollton. But the kids enjoyed it enough to want to go back. 

We used to live on Ryan which turns into Perry. We used to walk our only child, Miss Lily, down by that park. But then when I was pregnant with Kellyn some gangs began to spray paint our back fence with nasty words talking to each other. The police told us they meet down at the Thomas Park pool. So we moved to the other side of Carrollton. 

Thursday night was the end of the first week of swim lessons. We celebrated with dinner at Fuzzy's Tacos. The kids were worn out. 

Friday

We did not get in any water. It's nice to not have swim lessons on Friday. I was able to leisurely make dinner after Lauren left and the kids could just relax.

First thing in the morning Rhett asked me to make sidewalk chalk so that's what we did before it got too hot to go outside. 

I didn't grow up in the suburbs and I never wanted to raise my kids in the suburbs, but I kind of like that this is my sweet, little, suburban view from my front door. 

Baby Lauren was pretty fussy on Friday, but then when Amy picked her up she surprised the kids with popcorn on movie night. After the movie was over we made our own ice cream in a bag then ended the evening with bubbles. So yes, the first week of preschool being out was a good one. Looking forward to more special moments with my babies in the weeks that follow before Kindergarten.